In this cyberpunk era, why are you still playing the traditional villain?

"Hey, silly girl, do you think we went a bit too far?"

Xu Shi was already used to this, but he asked Pan Ling, who was following him, with great interest.

"Perhaps...there might be some?"

The foolish apprentice thought for a moment and then answered hesitantly.

Actually, she hadn't thought of it that way before, since she was only working with her master behind the scenes and hadn't witnessed the changes in this farce firsthand.

But now that she's arrived in the main city, she can clearly feel that it's much more desolate than when she last came here. It doesn't even have the prosperity that a main city should have. The gatherings on Silver Pine Island are much more lively.

It was only after Xu Shi asked her that she finally realized what she had done.

Every step I take, every adjustment I make, could lead to more people losing their fortunes, becoming homeless... or even dying as a result? This question seems to have already been answered.

Thinking this way, it would be a lie to say she felt no guilt.

"Is that what you think?"

Xu Shi stretched and said, "That only proves that you still have a lot to learn... After all, in my opinion, this is just the beginning."

"Hey?"

He said it casually, but to Pan Ling it was a wake-up call. What else did her master need to do?

"You'll find out soon enough."

Xu Shi always kept things in suspense, "But you must never forget another lesson I taught you."

"Whatever you do, make sure you have a safety net."

Having said that, he ignored his apprentice, who was disheveled in the wind, and beckoned everyone to disembark.

Someone from the port had already come to pick them up—unlike last time, this time they came at the invitation of the Queen or the royal family, and were genuine guests. Naturally, the other party would not make things difficult for them in such a small matter, and the arrangements were quite appropriate.

The carriage that came to pick them up was indeed edged with gold, representing the highest level of royal protocol.

Xu Shi didn't bring many people with him to the main city this time. They included Xia Ke'an, Pan Ling, Shen Qin, Xie Qingyan, and Ye Shanshan. Even so, they were greeted by a neat and orderly convoy.

"Envoy Xu, please get in the carriage."

As the leader of the delegation, Xu Shi enjoyed the privilege of having his own carriage. An elegant maid lifted the curtain and respectfully invited him to board.

"Brother Xu, it's been a long time."

There were already people waiting in the car. Cheng Gujian sat upright inside, staring at him with a calm expression.

"It's Brother Cheng! Indeed, it's been a long time."

Xu Shi was taken aback for a moment, but he wasn't too surprised. He had long expected that Cheng Gujian would definitely want to talk to him alone before meeting the Empress. He just didn't expect the other party to be in such a hurry. He had just disembarked and hadn't even gotten his footing yet.

"Brother Xu, you have quite the audacity. You're on Silver Pine Island, yet you've managed to stir up such a storm in the entire main city."

Cheng Gujian got straight to the point, interlacing his fingers to get to the heart of the matter.

"No, it can't compare to Brother Cheng's generosity."

Xu Shi, however, seemed indifferent and didn't even look at him directly. Instead, he began to examine the interior of the carriage with great interest.

He had felt from the outside that the carriage was excessively wide, and the inside was indeed a hidden world—it was practically a mobile, simple mansion. In addition to the living room, it even had a dedicated kitchen and bedroom. The windows were also specially designed, offering excellent views from the inside, but appearing completely dark from the outside.

Clearly, this must be Cheng Gujian's private car, which is more luxurious than a regular executive RV... He even inexplicably thought of a certain famous ancient person, whose sedan chair seemed to be carried by thirty-two people.

Wow, that's impressive!

"I am usually very busy with official duties, so I got this carriage to make things easier."

Cheng Gujian brushed it off and went straight to the point, asking, "Brother Xu's purpose in creating the Sea God Stone is probably to retaliate against me and the Holy See?"

This wasn't a question; it carried a hint of accusation.

It's clear that he was also somewhat displeased with Xu Shi's actions.

“How could that be? I heard about what happened back then, and I understand Brother Cheng’s actions very well.”

Xu Shi then became more serious, sat down opposite him and smiled, "If we switched roles, I think I would be even more ruthless than you, believe me."

After all, you already knew it was a superficial partnership, so it would be naive to expect the other party to risk their life to save you when you're in trouble.

"So you're saying that revenge is pointless."

He spread his hands with a sigh, "I also contributed real money, and you didn't stop me, you even got involved, didn't you?"

The meaning of this is very straightforward: why didn't you do this earlier?

You can't wait until something bad happens to start looking for blame... When an avalanche occurs, no snowflake is innocent.

"Yes, as the saying goes, 'You can't know what a thousand pieces of gold can buy.' Brother Xu has taught us a very good lesson."

Cheng Gujian's expression remained calm, only now it had a hint of gloom. "But don't forget what the purpose of our cooperation is."

"Brother Cheng, you can rest assured. My desire to bring down the Vatican is no less than yours."

Xu Shi waved his hand to reassure him, "The weapons I promised you all came with the ship. And didn't I come to see Her Majesty the Empress myself?"

"Of course, on the other hand, I deserve the most credit for defeating the sea god, and my not taking it doesn't mean I don't care."

"What do you mean?"

Cheng Gujian narrowed his eyes and asked.

"It's very simple, just a small request."

Xu Shi held up one finger. "When we meet the Empress downstairs, I'd like to see her alone, what do you say?"

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 258 I'm the one setting the conditions, Your Majesty!

2023-09-08

"Meet Her Majesty the Queen."

Inside the Imperial Study, Xu Shi politely bowed to Dongfang Xiao, who had been waiting for him.

That's right, the seemingly unreasonable request to "meet the Queen alone" isn't actually that unreasonable.

At least in Cheng Gujian's opinion, it was still within an acceptable range.

In his eyes, Xu Shi alone was not a great threat—his combat strength was not high, and he had already witnessed his abilities. He was also restrained by the holy light inherited from the royal family. Even if he were allowed to talk to Dongfang Xiao, he would not do anything outrageous.

Moreover, this is just a face-to-face meeting, not an elopement. He himself will be outside keeping watch, so if he notices anything amiss, he can take immediate action.

Most importantly, this time the royal family and Xu Shi were negotiating, and they wanted to get him involved to minimize the negative impact of the Sea God Stone transaction. Their intention was not simply to have a chat.

To put it bluntly, this is called being asked for a favor... They were already acting unfairly when they attacked the Sea God, and Xu Shi's dissatisfaction was written all over his face. If they don't make some concessions, then they really don't understand the situation.

When he makes a fortune and goes home, the huge deficit will have to be filled by the royal family alone—after all, the Papacy can shirk all responsibility; we're not a governing body, are we?

If they then set up some soup kitchens or charity events, they can salvage a lot of their reputation and reduce the pressure considerably.

In comparison, the royal family is not so relaxed... However, since it is a private meeting, the location certainly cannot be the main palace hall, so the royal study is a good choice.

In fact, when Gu Jian and Dongfang Xiao reported on their situations, they usually chose this place for peace and quiet, without being disturbed.

But today, Xu Shi is sitting in his seat.

"Mr. Xu."

Dongfang Xiao smiled and stood up to return the greeting. Even the way she addressed him was no longer the stiff and distant "Envoy Xu" as before. The use of "Sir" subtly shortened the distance between them.

Even if it's just a mascot, for a ruler of a country, this gesture is quite substantial.

"I had only seen you from afar before and thought you were handsome and talented. Now that I have seen you up close, I am even more amazed."

She even said some nice things in an attempt to bring the two of them closer.

"right?"

Xu Shi sat back down and nodded nonchalantly, "I think so too. Everyone around me has said I'm handsome since I was little."

"..."

It has to be said that such a shameless answer really put the little queen at a loss for words.

Logically speaking, shouldn't you also say a few nice words and flatter each other? Do you really think a few polite words are a tonic?

Even if you are indeed very handsome, you shouldn't act like this... Am I so ugly that I don't deserve your praise?

Tch, he really is a monster.

"Of course, it is my honor to receive praise from such a beauty as Her Majesty the Empress."

Just as she was feeling rather annoyed, Xu Shi slowly said what she wanted to hear.

To be honest, such words are hardly respectful to the ruler of a country; on the contrary, they carry a hint of mockery.

If it were any ordinary official who said such a thing, Dongfang Xiao had no doubt that he would severely punish them, at the very least by slapping them. How dare they speak to me like that? Don't they want to die?

But just moments ago she was complaining about why he didn't praise her, and since Xu Shi was from out of town, her displeasure had almost completely dissipated, and she even felt a sense of "that's more like it."

This shows that some people have truly mastered the art of language.

Human nature always prefers compromise—I really was torn between these conflicting emotions; you can see for yourself in the video.

"Haha."

With this thought in mind, the little empress couldn't help but cover her face and chuckle, adding a teasing remark, "You're quite the smooth talker; no wonder you have so many wives and concubines around you."

"However, I am even more amazed by your abilities... How did you come up with the idea of ​​the Poseidon Stone trade?"

Joking aside, she didn't forget to get to the point, which was the real business she wanted to discuss with him today.

"Is this difficult?"

Xu Shi's playful expression faded somewhat, and he said seriously, "In my city-state, this is just a very basic operation."

That era is already over... For major conglomerates, if they really want to amass wealth, there are many more efficient ways than this.

And that's exactly what he meant: I have far more tricks up my sleeve than you can imagine; this is just the beginning.

"Is it……"

Dongfang Xiao muttered to himself, his smile completely gone, "Then should I thank Mr. Xu for using only some basic tactics to disrupt the Empire's market?"

"It should."